Fairmont Area High School - Executive Summary |
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This executive summary relates to procedures, training and maintanence related to the following propane storage tank used only as an alternate heating fuel source. Fairmont Area High School 900 Johnson Street, Fairmont, MN 56031 1-30,000 Gallon (water) capacity tank installed in 1971 Upgraded in October 1998 by the installation on new vaporizers. RELEASE SENARIOS For the worst case senario, the entire contents of the propane tank would be released. This amounts to 110,00 pounds of propane with a vapor cloud endpoint of .4 miles. In this situation the hospital and all homes and businesses within the endpoint radius would be notified of the release and evacuations would be started as soon as possible. Further coordination with the Fairmont Fire Department is needed to finalize the details on how the notification and evacuation procedures will be implemented. When the details are finalized they will be included in the Fairmont Area Schools Em ergency Response Plan (ERP). The alternate flammable release senario chosen was the process piping break. This choice although unlikely seemed the most plausable of the possible choices. Based on the 1" diameter pipe shearing and and being left unrepaired for 10 minutes, approximately 5,125 pounds of propane would be released with an endpoint of .1 miles. The only receptors within this radius is the high school building itself. The ERP will be revised to include this senario and will require all building occupants to leave the building using exits at least 500 feet away from the tank and then move to the opposite side (south) of the building until the release is corrected and the area is declared safe. EMERGENCY RESPONSE Based on response by the local fire department in the past to a small vaporizer fire, the fire department together with school personnel have shown a good working relationship and have worked cooperatively to act quickly and competently to abate the hazard. ACTIO N ITEMS Based on the completion of the Risk Management Plan, the Fairmont Areas Schools has discovered several areas which will require additional effort on our part to bring our propane storage facility into full compliance. 1. Emergency response training for affected employees is needed. This shall be conducted by the contractor who installed the new vaporizers in July 1997. The training will cover the items listed on table 7, page 67 of the EPA Propane Storage Facilities Guidance Document. Topics will include among others, Emergency Shutdown and Operation and Maintanence Procedures. Initial training is scheduled for September 1999 with refresher training schedued once every three years. 2. Site specific safey equipment and signage are needed. The tank itself will be labeled on both sides with the word propane and the NFPA diamond will be used with 2-Health 4-Fire and 0- Reactivity. The fence surrounding the propane tank will be labeled with the word propane on th e side visible to vehicles entering the area of the propane tank. The liquid propane piping will be painted red and the propane vapor piping will be painted yellow for the entire length of the piping. A fire extinguisher will be mounted in a weatherproof case near the vaporizer units. An emergency phone with emergency phone numbers will be installed in the air mixing room next to the propane tank. CONCLUSION The Fairmont Area Schools believes that implementing the items outlined above will have a positive impact on the safety and health of the occupants of the Fairmont Area High School, both staff and students as well as residents of the community of Fairmont, Minnesota. |